Women in Sports: Former Devil Briann January Squares off in the WNBA Playoffs Tonight
Former ASU standout guard Briann January and the Connecticut Sun are looking to make a run in the WNBA playoffs this year to repeat their 2019 Finals appearance. The seventh-seed Sun (10-12) will take on sixth-seed Chicago Sky (12-10) in the first-round, single-elimination game Tuesday, September 15th, at 7 pm EST.
This is January’s first year with the Sun after being traded from the Phoenix Mercury, where she played two seasons. But January is no stranger to the WNBA playoffs as she appeared in 10 playoffs in her 11 year WNBA career, six appearances in the WNBA Semifinals, three career trips to the WNBA finals (2015, 2012, 2009) and won the WNBA championship in 2012 with the Indiana Fever.
But this year started a little different for January as she missed the first eight games of the season in the bubble because she had tested positive for COVID-19. January was one of two Sun’s players who came in contact with someone who had the virus and ended up positive. January experienced extreme fatigue, chills, congestions, body aches and lost her sense of taste and smell. Once her symptoms went away, she had to receive two consecutive negative times before she was able to travel to the bubble.
Her first game back was on August 12th against Dallas Wings. Since January has been back on the court for a month, she continues to be a veteran leader for the Sun’s averaging 3.4apg and averaging 5ppg.
January missed the second to last game of the regular season on September 9th against the Mercury due to a dislocated finger but played in the final game of the regular season two days later.
This will be the third match-up between Connecticut and Chicago with the series split. Both games finished within single digits and came down to the final minutes in the fourth quarter.